Saturday at StubHub Center is more than a card featuring the rematch between super flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez.

“This was really designed by HBO, the timing of it, as the appetizer for the Canelo-Triple G fight,” promoter Tom Loeffler said, referring to the Sept. 16 middleweight title fight between champion Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (on HBO pay-per-view). “This is the best show to promote the best fight of the year, which is Canelo versus Triple G.”

And what a show it should be, considering what happened the first time Rungvisai and Gonzalez tangled in March at Madison Square Garden. Rungvisai, of Thailand, decked Nicaragua’s Gonzalez in the first round. But many thought Gonzalez did enough to come away with his 47th victory without a defeat.

Instead, Rungvisai won a majority decision, stunning many who figured Gonzalez would never lose because he has had such an outstanding career, winning titles in four weight classes.

“I think he edged it out,” Loeffler said of Gonzalez. “There were a lot of extremely close rounds in that fight. Clearly, Rungvisai came out strong; he dropped Chocolatito in the first round.

“I thought that, as did most fans, Chocolatito came back strong and won the majority of the later rounds. But it’s hard to argue with the judges’ decision.”

It was a mean fight, during which Gonzalez (46-1, 38 KOs) was cut in the third round from head butts, Rungvisai eventually losing a point in the sixth round for initiating them.

This second go-round figures to be another vicious ring war, and the HBO card has plenty more on its plate to offer fans used to seeing knockdown, drag-out fights at this outdoor venue.

The semi-main event will see another super flyweight champion – Naoya Inoue of Japan – making his U.S. debut by defending against Antonio Nieves of Cleveland. And former champion Carlos Cuadras (36-1-1, 27 KOs) of Mexico will take on countryman Juan Francisco Estrada (35-2, 25 KOs) in a super flyweight title-elimination bout.

The winner of Cuadras-Estrada is expected to get a shot at the winner of Rungvisai-Gonzalez.

“It’s a tremendous show with a lot of implications for the winners,” Loeffler said of this show, which is appropriately called “Superfly.”

Loeffler took things a step further.

“We’ve done a lot of shows – heavyweight championship fights, middleweight championship fights and a lot of international shows,” he said Thursday. “I’d have to say this is the best show, top to bottom, that we’ve ever been able to put together.”

Loeffler was in on the ground floor of K2 Promotions, which is owned by former heavyweight champions Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko. The first card under that banner was in 2004, when Vitali Klitschko won a vacant title with an eighth-round TKO of Corrie Sanders at Staples Center.

RUNGVISAI SAYS HEAD BUTTS ACCIDENTAL

Rungvisai (43-4-1, 39 KOs) knows there are plenty of people who not only think he lost the first fight, but delivered those head butts on purpose. He shot down both notions this week.

“Many people did not believe I won, but I know that I was victorious and will prove again that I am better on Saturday night,” said Rungvisai, 30. “The head butts were not intentional at all. He was bending over also, and I’m a southpaw and he’s orthodox; sometimes that happens. I’m not a dirty fighter at all.”

Gonzalez, 30, is stoked that the rematch is upon him.

“As soon as the last fight was over, I wanted the chance to regain my title,” he said.

He expects a different outcome.

“After fighting him once, I know what he does well and I know how to combat that,” Gonzalez said.

ALSO

There is much anticipation regarding the highly touted Inoue (13-0, 11 KOs). Nieves (17-1-2, 9 KOs) claims he’s not intimidated. “I don’t pay attention to the odds or listen to the naysayers,” he said. “If I didn’t think I could win, I wouldn’t have taken this fight. We’ll see if he lives up to the hype; he’s never faced anyone as good as me.” … Showtime spokesman Chris DiBlasio told us this week that the pay-per-view buys for the Aug. 26 fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor at T-Mobile Arena should land somewhere in the mid-4 million range. The record is 4.6 million for the 2015 fight between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Showtime originally sent out a release 10 days after that one stating there were 4.4 million buys. But DiBlasio said that grew by another 200,000. … In case you missed it, the live gate numbers for Mayweather-McGregor did not break the record set by Mayweather-Pacquiao. Mayweather-McGregor did $55,414,865.79, Mayweather-Pacquiao $72,198,500.00.

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